


Written In The Silence

by YumeArashi



Series: Haven [3]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, Pre-The Raven Boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22042996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeArashi/pseuds/YumeArashi
Summary: Adam rose from slumber slowly and gently, drifting towards wakefulness from the kind of deep and peaceful sleep he rarely managed.He felt safe.FollowsWritten In His Deeds
Series: Haven [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579183
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	Written In The Silence

Adam rose from slumber slowly and gently, drifting towards wakefulness from the kind of deep and peaceful sleep he rarely managed.

He felt safe.

It was the first thing he became aware of, though it was swiftly followed by confusion.

Adam  _ never _ woke up feeling safe.

He was warm too, but in a good way rather than the usual sweltering heat of summer warmth. Other sensations trickled in - lying on something much more comfortable than his bed, weight atop him, more light behind his closed eyes than his trailer ever saw. The dull ache of his ribs and jaw, milder than he would have expected.

He opened his eyes. Blinked once, twice, harder. Pinched his leg to see if he was dreaming. But the scene before him didn't change. Waking in Gansey's bed would have been an oddity in itself, but this...

Beside him, Ronan Lynch sprawled in every direction across the bed. He was all but atop Adam, one arm carelessly thrown over Adam's chest - thankfully above the cracked ribs - and his leg pinning both of Adam's. On Adam's other side, Gansey was curled against him like a child with their favorite teddy bear, his head tucked against Adam's shoulder and an arm wrapped around Adam's waist. Ronan was pinning him too, so closely was Gansey snuggled against Adam, Ronan's hand resting on Gansey's shoulder. Gansey had thought to remove his glasses at some point but all of them were still fully dressed.

All Adam could think was, 'What the hell?' 

His aching ribs reminded him why he was at Monmouth, at least. He'd ducked away from his father's blows, managing to get out the door and on his bike and away. Calling was never an option, even aside from Ronan making it an ultimatum. Adam had no cell phone and no money for a pay phone (if he could even find one), and nowhere in sleepy little Henrietta was open at three in the morning. So he'd biked over, arguing with himself the whole way, fighting the urge not to lay his burdens on them, refusing to listen to the dangerous thought that he could just go home, his father was probably asleep, he was probably safe. 

Probably.

He'd been both relieved and disappointed that the lights were still on. He wouldn't risk waking them, but on the other hand that meant he had no reason not to go in. So he had knocked, and they'd welcomed him in without question and without argument (without much argument. One could only ask so much of Ronan Lynch.) They'd helped him tend his hurts without demanding more, without insisting on giving what he couldn't accept. They didn't understand, but they were trying. He appreciated that.

He must have fallen asleep, which left him disappointed with himself but not surprised. Why the other two had slept beside him, though...well, that was the question, wasn't it?

He carefully shifted, trying to see if there was any way out of the tangle of limbs. Gansey clung tighter, and Ronan stirred and grunted, "Quit wiggling. Y're comfy." Adam bit back a laugh, and lay still while the other two quieted again.

He wondered idly what time it was. His best guess was late morning, based on the sunlight slanting in through the huge window (and was it really any wonder Gansey never slept, in a space so bright?) Thankfully he hadn't picked up an early shift today, since he'd promised Gansey he'd work on the yet-again broken down Pig.

He glanced to the side. Gansey had a hint of his smile on his face, looking deeply content. Adam still wondered why Gansey had chosen to befriend him. It seemed an outsized favor to return for merely reviving a car. But then perhaps Gansey simply felt that someone who would stop to help a stranger with their broken down car was the sort of person he wanted as a friend.

Adam was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Gansey to see the dust and filth and ugliness that made up Adam, and realize he wanted nothing to do with him. It was inevitable, he knew, but he had already failed to keep enough distance to prevent it from wounding him deeply.

And then there was Ronan. Hard and sharp and dangerous but at the moment defenseless, sprawled fast asleep all across Adam. Ronan, who had been so uncharacteristically careful with Adam's injured ribs. Not delicate, no, not as if Adam were fragile - for which Adam was profoundly grateful. He would have hated that, would have hated pity. But pity existed nowhere within Ronan Lynch. He made his own choices according to his own motives, and others accepted it or didn't. For his own unfathomable reasons Ronan had decided to assess and treat Adam's cracked ribs, and Adam would probably never know why.

Adam looked over at him, and found Ronan looking back. For a long moment neither moved or blinked, then Ronan pulled away, stretching ostentatiously with the air of someone who refused to be embarrassed at having been caught in a compromising position. "How's your ribs?" he grunted.

"Not bad, considering," Adam said quietly. "What happened last night? The last thing I remember is lying down so you could make sure my breathing was all right."

Ronan shrugged, a studiously careless motion. "Gansey and I talked for a bit. Guess we must have fallen asleep. You two take up too much of the bed."

Adam considered that. Not a lie, Ronan never lied - but not the whole truth either. He didn't feel like starting a fight this morning, however, so he let it go, simply acknowledging the partial truth with a nod. "I guess Gansey feels the same," he said ruefully, eyeing the limbs still wrapped firmly around him.

Ronan snorted, amused. "He does that. If you let him fall asleep anywhere near you, he latches on and you're stuck. He claims it's because he gets cold when he sleeps. Pile of bullshit, if you ask me. He's just too insecure to admit he's a cuddler."

Adam chuckled softly. He could just imagine Ronan caught in the same trap, scowling but tolerant as he was for no one else. "Well, luckily I don't have anywhere to be this morning, so I suppose I'll just resign myself to my fate."

Something complicated crossed Ronan's face then, something Adam couldn't interpret. But all Ronan said was, "I'm gonna grab breakfast from the diner. What do you want? And don't tell me you're fine. I'm hungry and in no mood to wait for my damn breakfast, I'm not having this fight. Either you tell me what you want or I bring back whatever the hell I feel like, and I promise you won't enjoy it."

Adam smirked. "I'll take that challenge. Do your worst."

Unexpectedly, Ronan barked a laugh. "All right, asshole, you asked for it."

Gansey stirred at the noise, blinking awake just as Adam turned to him. He looked at Adam in sleepy confusion for a moment, soft and unguarded, before his eyes widened and he let go of Adam. "Ah, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…I mean, that wasn't....I, uh…" he blurted, scrambling back so quickly he nearly fell off the bed.

"It's fine, Gansey," Adam reassured him, holding back laughter at the unexpected lack of dignity from Gansey.

"It's really not, it was intrusive and unasked-for and I am terribly sorry. I assure you I had no intention of invading your personal space, I swear I was keeping a respectful distance when I fell asleep."

"It really is fine by me," Adam insisted gently. "I'm not used to sleeping without a blanket or at least a sheet over me, I'd have been cold without you and Ronan keeping me warm on either side."

"Ronan too?" Gansey looked around, surprised. Ronan was gone, however, having already departed to retrieve breakfast.

Adam nodded. "He was sprawled all over the bed, on top of both of us."

"Well. That's...unexpected." Gansey mused.

"You don't have to tell me," Adam agreed. "He's gone to get breakfast - for all of us, I think."

Gansey's eyes narrowed. "You agreed to that?"

"No, but he said that either I tell him what I wanted or he'd bring me back something awful. I'm curious to see what he comes up with."

Gansey laughed, bright and clear, ringing echoes in the huge open space. "Oh dear, that's sure to be unfortunate."

Adam laughed too. "Yeah, but he should know better. I'll eat every bite of it while looking him in the eye the whole time. I can't wait to see his smug look fall apart."

"You're both terrible people, why am I so fond of you two?" Gansey chuckled.

"I can't imagine why. But I'm glad you do," Adam said quietly, hesitating a moment before adding, "Thanks. For giving me a place I can breathe easy. For letting it be my choice. I don't...I don't get a lot of those."

"Thank you for giving me another chance," Gansey reached over and squeezed Adam's shoulder, his eyes sad as he looked at the bruises that had worsened overnight. "I wish I could do more, but as ironic as it sounds, I do understand the value of choices in a life that has few of them. I know I can be an absolute fool about these things sometimes, but I'll try my best to always give you a choice. And you're welcome to call me out whenever I forget."

Adam nodded, giving Gansey a thoughtful look. It occurred to him to wonder, for the first time, just how short a leash his parents kept him on. "I appreciate it. And I appreciate the open door. I still can't stay, but you should know it means a lot to me."

Gansey smiled and was about to reply when Ronan burst triumphantly through the door, brandishing a takeout bag like a weapon. "You asked for it, Parrish!"

Adam laughed. "Bring it on, Lynch."

Soon enough, he would have to go home. But here, now, with them, Adam could just…be.


End file.
